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Physical Therapy | Occupational Therapy | Early Childhood Education | Speech Therapy
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Speech Therapy
The goal of Speech therapy is to improve communication skills. All children develop at a rate unique to themselves but the range of developmental milestone such as saying a first word usually occurs between 9 and 12 months. Children at 18 months have 6 to 10 words. Children speak in two word phrases at two years. By the child's third birthday, language has progressed to being able to retell a recent event, answer questions and hold a short conversation. Speech and language develop rapidly in child's early years. Children are truly little people and should be able to talk and be understood. Speech therapy is designed to enhance or correct any learning difficulties associated with developmental language.
Problems associated with developmental language:
Articulation: Child does not speak clearly and often substitutes the wrong sounds in words. Speech therapy teaches the proper motion and placement for the sounds and their position in words.
Lack of language: Child does not use many words or does not put words together. Child is often frustrate that he can't say what he wants. Speech therapy endeavors to demonstrate and model language in small steps with visual cues to teach the child how to talk.
Medical problems that cause difficulty in language: Speech therapy teaches alternate forms of communication. Use of language boards, electronic assistive communication devices, sign language and picture exchange systems.
Apraxia: A difficulty in planning the motor movement necessary for articulation and speech. Speech therapy teaches those motor movements and how to sequence them.
Hearing problems: After medical treatment and amplification, speech therapy teaches auditory training skill to help the child understand what he is hearing and how to reproduce it.
Autism spectrum disorder: Speech therapists work with the educational team to set up verbal and non-verbal pictorial systems for communication.
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